It's been a long time in coming, but Snowbird now has a new chairlift - Baby Thunder. Official ceremonies were held Thursday.
Opening ceremony included speeches, ribbon cutting, flying flags and fireworks. Santa also made an appearance and greeted children.Under a new program at Snowbird this year, kids 12 and under ski all of Snowbird's chairs free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
The Baby Thunder chairlift expands the ski area's beginner and intermediate terrain.
Baby Thunder's vertical rise of 630 feet increases Snowbird's vertical rise to 3,240 feet, giving it the largest vertical among the state's 14 areas. The new lift increases Snowbird's uphill capacity from 9,000 to 10,200 skiers per hour.
This chair also opens a large family skiing area of approximately 30 acres of new skiable terrain.
The family ski zones provide the opportunity for the entire family to ski or snowboard together at their own pace.
Baby Thunder brings the total number of lifts at Snowbird to one high-speed tram and eight lifts.
Snowbird was scheduled to add the lift last summer, but the U.S. Forest Service withdrew permission. After a lengthy legal battle, in which a judge ruled in the resort's favor, the two sides agreed to a compromise plan and work on the new lift began this summer.
With each passing snow, more resorts join the open market. The latest is Powder Mountain. It opened its Sundowner Lift between the hours of 4:30 and 10 p.m.
Also open are Alta, Park City, Deer Valley, Solitude, Brighton and Brian Head.